The cleanout of a small bottle containing relatively thick, viscous material, so as to obtain the benefit of all of the material contained in the bottle, frequently presents a difficult problem. The classic example is the conventional catsup bottle. A thick catsup tends to remain settled in the bottom of the bottle, sometimes despite rather violent attempts to dislodge it. The neck of the bottle often proves to be a bottleneck indeed, defying attempts to start the discharge of catsup from the bottle. The shape of the bottle sometimes contributes to the overall problem; a hexagonal or octagonal bottle, having flat interior surfaces and numerous corners, adds materially to the difficulties in attempting to get all of the catsup out of the bottle.
A number of different forms of bottle cleaning devices has previously been proposed. For the most part, these devices constitute rubber or plastic spatulas of varying shapes and configurations. Examples of these prior art cleaning devices, some of which have other additional functions, are presented in Batchelder U.S. Pat. No. 2,207,651 showing a spatula with a curved tip, Schacht U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,301 directed to a spatula having projections formed along its longitudinal edges, Bell U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,762 describing a spatula with a slightly curved shape and a complex cross-sectional configuration for the blade, Tupper U.S. Pat. No. 2,900,656 describing a spatula having a rather complex peripheral contour, and Tupper U.S. Pat. No. 2,828,502 comprising a spatula with a slightly curved blade and having a series of prongs on the end of the spatula shaft opposite the blade and intended for corner cleaning.
All of these prior art devices, however, leave some remaining difficulties, especially in cleaning out the contents of catsup bottles and other containers of thick, viscous material. This is particularly true with respect to bottles having flat interior wall surfaces joined by curved corner surfaces. Moreover, they do not usually provide an effective means for unblocking the neck of a catsup bottle.